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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lie — to recline
  3. spell — letters
  4. rock — a stone
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. spell — magic
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spell — a short time
  16. date — the fruit
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. charge — in control
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com